“You might want to walk fast so you can get to your crypts before the workday begins,” said one of the castle soldiers unhelpfully. Then he slammed the door shut behind them and turned the lock, leaving Thisbe and the six others seemingly alone in the catacombs.

They started jogging. There were no blue-uniformed soldiers in sight as far as Thisbe could see, which seemed strange compared to how it used to be. But if all the slaves were under the Revinir’s mind control, it made sense that she didn’t need as many soldiers controlling them. Thisbe’s pulse quickened. Last in line, she glanced behind her, seeing the backs of the adult soldiers’ heads through the small window in the door.

Now what? Thisbe wondered. Should she try to engage Rohan and the other slaves? Would they just stare blankly at her? Or would they report her for suspicious behavior? Thisbe didn’t know enough about how the spell affected them, and she didn’t dare risk blowing her cover until she had it figured out.

She had plenty of time to think about it on the long journey to their crypts. None of the others spoke. They jogged until they couldn’t keep up the pace, then slowed to a speed walk. Now and then they passed a few soldiers stationed at the intersections. They didn’t seem like they had anything to do now that the slaves were no longer an escape risk, and barely looked at them. That was the first encouraging sign Thisbe took from the experience. She’d be less scrutinized. That was never a bad thing.

Halfway through they took a break to rest. Thisbe was careful not to look at Rohan or any others too closely, even though she was dying to study them and ask a few questions. But she was deathly worried about the Revinir finding out—it would ruin everything if she were even the least bit suspicious. Thisbe had made it this far under scrutiny, and she still had her components. There were fewer soldiers down here than before, so that offered her some hope. She’d have to ride on those positives for a while until she had a better grasp on how to get information safely.